When You're Blind and You Don't Even Know It
Today's Verse
7Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.8At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.9Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.10Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.11But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.12I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.13I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father.14I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.1 John 2:7-14 · ESV
The Devotion
This week, we're continuing our study through 1 John. If you miss a day or two, it's all grace. You can hit the back button and see what we've studied so far.
In verse 7-8, John says the commandment of love is both old and new. Leviticus 19:18 and Deuteronomy 6:5 commanded God's people to love each other, showing that what John was saying is old. In Matthew 22, Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God the second is like it: to love your neighbor as yourself. In that way, the command is new.
The Bible often uses darkness and light to describe good and evil. John says the opposite of love, hate, represents the life of someone walking in darkness, not knowing what they are doing or where they are going because darkness has blinded their eyes.
There are many people today who are blind and they don't even know it. They think only of themselves and have no love for God or love for people. Some of these people can even appear to be spiritual, but they have no love. A true test of whether we know God and have experienced his love through salvation is whether we love him back and let his love flow through us to other people. No, we don't do the commandment and work of love to be saved, but He works His love through us because we have been saved.
There's no greater experience than walking in the light and loving your brother. Like verse 10 says, "Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there's no cause for stumbling." Walk in the light!
Lord, help me love other people the way that you've loved me. Help me walk in the light and open my spiritual eyes to see people who need love around me, whether I think they deserve it or not. God, help me love them the way Jesus loves them. Thank you that you are light and there is no darkness in you at all. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Sources
- ESV Study Bible
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